


The Nephew

by JustSomeRandomWriter



Category: Stranger Things - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:29:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeRandomWriter/pseuds/JustSomeRandomWriter
Summary: (Begins after Season 2 and moves into Season 3)Jim Hopper has already taken in one child in his cabin--but when another shows up, he has no choice but to take another. Axel Johnson, Hopper's nephew, is forced to move in with him after Jim's sister loses custody of the boy. With Eleven growing more into a teenager and experiencing her relationship with Mike, Hopper is barely fit for TWO teenagers.Axel, though, has other intentions than staying cooped up in the cabin with the strange girl and his asshole of an uncle. The tough city kid has his eyes on one girl, and he won't stop pursing her, even as the town around him goes into chaos
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Joyce Byers/Jim "Chief" Hopper, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter One: Crackwhore

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first work on this forum, so don't be frightened to message me or criticize my work! Nothing is completely perfect, and if there are any errors, let me know! I'm excited to see what happens with this! :)
> 
> This work will be updated daily, or nearly daily. I'm in college and also working a job, so when it's updated, it might not be until late at night, so if you can add notifications to the story, it'll let you know!
> 
> Thanks in advance!

“Ms. Johnson, I am formally removing your rights to care for this child,” the large man before him spoke. His voice was deep and gravely, void of emotion.

The woman sitting beside him, if he could even call her his mother, burst into tears. She covered her face with her hands, the sobs wailing through the empty courtroom. “No! Please, don’t take away my baby from me! I’ll do anything, I promise! Please don’t take him from me!”

“I’ve told you multiple times, Diana,” the judge said, a large sigh following afterwards, “that if you didn’t get clean, I was going to remove him from your custody. I can’t even fathom the amount of times I told you to get your act together before you would face the music--and look what's happening.

"Your Honor, Axel is all I have in this world," his mother sobbed. She unfolded her hands, and slammed them off the thick mahogany table before him. "He is my baby boy, my son! If you stripped my custody of him, I'd have nothing left. Please, sir, is there anything you can do instead of taking him from me? I'll do anything in the world for you, but don't take my son!"

The judge ran a heavy hand over his face. "Diana, you know if there was another option to this, I would follow that--but there's not. The last time you were dragged in here, I told you that the next time would be the absolute last time. I should've put your ass in jail a long time ago, but I didn't, because I'd hate to put another child through the system, but I'm running out of patience with you."

"Please let him stay with me, Your Honor!"

"Absolutely not, Diana," the judge said as he slammed his gavel off the table. "I told you to quit the blow and crack, and to get yourself a stable job. To bring in some income, and get yourself into rehabilitation. Get your boy some help, but now, you've messed up too many times and I'm not giving out anymore get-out-of-jail cards. This is it, and now you have to learn the consequences."

His mother cried out, and dropped her head. Her entire body, or what was there, was shaking from the powerful sobs. She was a petite and slender woman, with hardly any weight on her. The drugs had completely removed all the fat on her body, now maknig her a walking, breathing husk of the great woman she had once been. Before the cocaine, meth, crack--she was an intelligent, brave, beautiful woman who'd do anything for him. She brought him out west in hopes for a better, brighter life outside of the woodlands, but instead, all they found was drugs, gangsters, and trouble. 

Axel looked up at the judge, and he was staring at him with intense, dark eyes. Axel seemed to shrink before him, and he wanted to crawl underneath the table and hide from the entire situation. It would be easier to block this all out, run away into the city until his legs could move no more, and hide, hide in the shadows until the situation would fix itself. 

The judge cleared his throat and shuffled some papers on the large, elevated table he sat behind. "Now, do you have any immidate family members that could take the boy in? Where's his father at, per chance?"

His mother chuckled beside him, and Axel nearly jumped out of his skin. The sobbing had stopped completely at the sound of his father, giving him more reason to jump out of the wooden seat and make a break for it. "That asshole isn't in the picture. He left when my poor son was still in the womb, and moved to Yonkers, or some stupid place up north. He hooked up with my best friend, Cindy Malibu, and they took off together in the night."

"Are you still in contact with him?"

Diana snorted. "You'd think I would stay in contact with someone like that? No, we're not, and I honestly wouldn't even care if he was dead."

The judge sighed languidly. "Any grandparents that could take care of him?"

"They're dead."

The judge sighed once more and tossed down his small stack of papers in his hand. He threw his head back and groaned. "Is there absolutely anyone who could care and provide for him? A close friend? Cousins? Any older siblings of his?"

"He's the only one, Your Honor."

"What about you, then? Do you have any brothers or sisters that could take him in? If not, he's going to have to go through the system, and that's the last thing I want."

His mother paused, and Axel glanced over to her. She opened her mouth to speak, but then it closed. He knew what she was going to say, but what would be the response she would get? She moved out of that place to get away from her past, to start anew--and sending him back there would be the last thing she would want to happen.

"Well, I have a brother, but I really don't think he's ready to take in anymore children. He already has one, and I don't think he's ready for another one."

"Diana, it's either him or foster care, and the chances of getting Axel out of that are very slim."

Axel looked over to his mother, and chills went down his back. If he goes to the system, he could wind up anywhere in the country, with any random stranger, and he's heard stories on the streets of kids going to irresponsible people, and terrible things happening to them; murder, rape, trafficing--the whole nine yards.

His mother shook her head solemnly. "Fine. He has a steady job, a house, a family--he'd be good for Axel, I assume. I haven't seen him in about a decade, but he would be good."

"Can I have the name of your brother."

Diana wiped her face of tears, and she looked up at the judge. Axel's heart jumped a beat. "His name is Jim Hopper, of Hawkins, Indiana.


	2. Chapter Two: Meathead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nephew and the uncle finally meet after over a decade has passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I'd never thought I would have pulled over 80 hits off of one chapter, and I'm excited! I hope this project (yes, there will be multiple chapters, so expect to get involved) goes well!
> 
> On a side note, could anyone tell me if they hate the spacing between dialogue and descriptions? Is it too large? If it is, I can always go back and fix it up for everyone! :)
> 
> Thank you for reading! <3

_Several days ago..._

Hopper stepped into his cabin, the door shutting behind him. Several snowflakes trailed in after him, dispersing into the living area. The fireplace crackled with vigorous life, the wood snapping and popping from the intense heat. Hopper sighed and took off his hat, and scratched his head. He had just dropped El off with Mike, and they were spending the evening making cookies. He had wanted to spend the night doing something festive with her, but it was after Christmas, and they had already had their festivities. He was also reluctant with sending El over to the Wheeler household, but Mike's mother insisted that they would be under constant supervision, because they were also anxious with their son dating.

He groaned at the thought of them being alone, in Mike's terrain, and in _his _room--possibly doing things that they shouldn't be doing. things that wouldn't pass the 3-inch rule. If Hopper had caught them doing anything suspicious or intimate that he didn't agree with, Mike would be out in the snow, walking the long miles back to his house in the dark. Internally, Hopper would feel bad, but he told both Mike and Eleven the consequences.

He sat down on the couch, and dropped his head into his hands. Images of Eleven and Mike kissing danced through his head, and he shook his head vigorously to dispel them. He shouldn't be this worried about them, because Eleven knew the consequences of doing so--he even sat down with her one evening and explain the "bases" that lead to sex--and Mike seemed like a decent kid, decent enough to not make advances on his young...daughter.

He chuckled at the word. _Daughter._ It was a strange word, but not one he's not accustomed to; he had Sarah, at one point, and that was his daughter, but after she passed, he fell into a black void and completely omitted the word from his memory. He had to, he had to forget about the word; it caused so much pain and travesty to his life, and it nearly killed him--but for Eleven, it felt so real and alive. She _was _his daughter, even if he felt awkward about saying so. He never called it in front of her, or to anyone else, but he couldn't just call her that. It wasn't the best time. He had referenced the term with other words, maybe enough to give the impression, but calling her that word somewhat scared him.

Hopper sighed and rubbed his cheeks. He stood up and sauntered into the tiny kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. Pulling out a beer, Hopper popped open the cap and pressed the bottle against his lips, and guzzled down nearly half the bottle in a few gulps. He swallowed, and set the bottle down on the counter. No, he couldn't drink himself into a stupor over something so trivial, like Eleven dating or being his surrogate daughter, but it was bothering him.

The bottle found itself back at his lips, and another large gulp of beer washed down his throat. He sat the bottle back down on the table, and stuffed a cigarette between his teeth. A bright flame erupted from his Zippo, and quickly a tendril of smoke released from the cigarette. He took a deep drag, and pulled the cigarette from his lips, and exhaled. Two smoky snakes coiled out from his nostrils before he blew the rest of the smoke into the air. 

Hopper reached for the bottle again, but the phone rang. He cursed underneath his breath, and took another drag off the cigarette. He threw off his winter coat and tossed it onto the couch. He walked slowly over to the ringing phone, and picked it up. He pressed it against his ear. "This is Jim."

"_Jim? Is this Jim Hopper?"_

"Depends on who's asking."

There was a small chuckle on the other end of the line. _"This is Amanda Hoover from Child Protective Services. Do you have a moment to speak?"_

A wave of nerves attacked his body. The last time he had heard of the agency, he found Benny dead in his diner and a small, nearly feral Eleven running through the woods around Hawkins, and the events that followed it. That day was the beginning of the shitstorm that plagued the town for the past two years, but as a result, he had now found his new lease on life, and he should be grateful for that--even if it did make him nervous.

"Yeah, I suppose. How can I help you?"

_"There's a little situation with your sister, Jim. Your sister, Diana Johnson, has lost custody of her son, Axel."_

Hopper could've slammed the phone off the floor. His sister somehow managed to lose the only important thing in her life? What kind of idiot could she be? He knew his sister was far from perfect--you could call her an antonym of the word--but he knew she wouldn't be dumb enough to get in enough trouble to lose her son. He balled his free hand, his knuckled cracking. "What happened? Is she all right?"

There was a sigh. _"Well...she's alive, I can assure you. You see, your sister has gotten into a lengthy history of drugs, prostitution, and other petty crimes and can no longer provide for Axel. The poor kid was practically dressed in rags when they brought him into court earlier. He can't stay with her any longer, so she came with the ultimate decis--"_

"No, I can't take him. I have too much on my hands already, and I can hardly afford to feed myself and my...daughter." He had hesitated on the word, because it felt so unnatural to say--but it felt right to say.

_"I kind of figured that would happen, but Jim, if you don't take in Axel, he's going to have to go through foster care, and the chances of them ever being reunited are very slim. They're slim enough as it is, but if Axel would be with you, she can be assured that he was with someone she knew."_

"I get that, but who says I can take in another child? Plus, I doubt my sister would do the same in my position. We aren't exactly close, you know."

_"I understand your reluctance, Mr. Hopper, but I don't believe you understand the urgency of our little predicament. Your sister is possibly looking at jail time, too. She was forking off drugs for money, and then using that money to buy more drugs. She could be charged with child endangerment and negligence."_

"You can't force me to take him in. One child is enough, and I don't particularly have the space to take in another one. How old is he, like fourteen? Fifteen? Teenage boys are reckless, stupid, and take up a lot of room."

_ "Jim, this is your nephew we're talking about. This is the son of your blood sister, someone you lived with for years. I know you two aren't close, and I'm not asking for details, but could you possibly find it in your heart to take him? The boy has been through enough trauma already, and he could use the help of family."_

Hopper sighed and rubbed his forehead. Eleven was enough trouble to deal with, but taking in a teenage boy? That was ludacrous. Being a former teen, Hopper knows boys only think about a few things: girls, partying, sex, and girls. He couldn't have some kid bringing home girls, smelling like cigarettes and beer around innocent Eleven? What if he managed to take her out to one of those crazy parties, and Eleven got drunk? Or raped?

_"Jim? Are you still there?"_

He blinked, and took another drag off his cigarette. "Yes, I'm still here."

_"Are you going to take in your nephew? If you don't, he'll go into the system."_

Hopper groaned. He couldn't let that happen to the poor boy; while they weren't exactly close, Axel was born before Sarah, and was the first baby that didn't cry when he held them. He daintly remembered the boy's first birthday, and Hopper showed up with a stuffed teddy bear, with a little police badge on it. Axel was, at one point, practically like a son to him, but that was over twelve years ago, and he hadn't seen the boy since they moved to the west coast. He couldn't let the kid go through foster care and end up in some random place with random people who don't really give a single shit about him.

"Yes...I'll take him in, I guess." The words slipped off his lips, and he had to push them out. 

_"Excellent! That's so great! Diana will be so happy! Listen, then: we'll send Axel on a plane to the nearest airport to...Hawkins? Yes, Hawkins, and he'll be escorted by one our best agents, and all you have to do is pick him up and he'll be yours!"_

Hopper rolled his eyes. "Peachy."

_"Great! Well then, I'll be in touch wiht you over the next couple of days, and I'll send another agent to review your house and see if it's good enough for him! Thank you so much for your committment to your nephew, Jim. You're making the right choice."_

"Sure. I'll talk to you later, then."

_"Okay! Ta--"_

Hopper slammed down the phone. He took a long drag off the cigarette, which was now nearly gone, until it hurt the back of his throat. He blew out all the smoke, and wandered back into the kitchen to pound down another beer before he had to go retrieve Eleven from the Wheeler household.

***

Hopper glanced up. In the distance of the parking lot, he could make out the outline of a slender person walking up to his truck. The snow was freely falling from the sky, blanketing the ground around him. He had the heat blasting in the truck, enough for him to have slipped off his coat. He undid the first two buttons on his flannel to try and keep himself from burning up and sweating like a mull. He looked back down at the object in his hands, and he squeezed it.

It was the teddy bear from Axel's first birthday, his first year of life. The bear was now much older and tattered, but when they left in the middle of the night, Hopper found this in the middle of his empty room, waiting for his boy to return. He squeezed the bear, and ran his thumb over the once shiny badge, now dirty. He had saved it for all these years, but he suspected he would be giving the bear back at the boy's funeral, dead from a homicidie. 

Hopper looked back up, and saw the figure now close to his truck. Hopper could make out the boy's face from the clear window. He had black, curly hair, sharp but hollow features. He was incredibly skinny, nearly paper thin underneath his jeans and large winter coat. He wasn't the tallest, but he had long legs. The boy was only carrying one duffle bag, probably filled with all of his belongings.

Hopper glanced down the bear, and he stuffed the bear behind his back. He couldn't give this to him now, especially with all that had happened in the past couple of days for him. Right now, the boy probably needed more than old memories to comfort and relax him.

He looked back up, and saw the boy standing in the middle of the parking lot, looking around. Hopper honked the horn, and the boy snapped around his direction. Hopper rolled down his window enough to reach his arm out if it, and waved in the boy's direction. He quickly jogged over to the truck, being careful enough not to slip on the black ice that covered the parking lot. Hopper unlocked the door, and the boy quickly jumped in, closing it behind him quickly before enough cold air rushed through and negated the heat.

Hopper looked over to the boy, and he was staring back at him with dark blue eyes, the same color his mother had. Dark bags were nearly pulling his eyes down, probably from the little sleep the poor kid has had within the past couple of days. It had probably been hell, but it's not like Hopper hadn't experienced it before.

"Hey, kid," Hopper said awkwardly without much emotion in his voice. 

"Hi."

Hopper stared at the boy. God, he looked like himself when he was a teenager, and the sight horrified him. He put the gear in drive, and he slammed his foot down on the petal. "Let's get the hell out of here and go home."


	3. Chapter Three: Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopper and Axel discuss the past, and Axel sheds light on some disturbing things about his mother as they close in on Hawkins. Hopper talks about some the void he nearly fell into, and about the girl who saved his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! This has garnered more attention and responses than I imagined! Thank you all for your support so far! :)
> 
> I know the pacing of this chapter is going to be a little dull, but it's mainly some necessary information about the relationships between Diana/Axel and Diana/Hopper. It's boring, but needed.
> 
> The story will begin to get juice in the next chapter, I promise!
> 
> Thank you all for reading so far! I truly appreciate it, especially those who have commented! I won't reply unless its needed, but I read every comment, I promise! Thank you guys! :D

Hopper glanced over to the boy sitting in the passenger seat of his vehicle. His nephew was staring out the window, his eyes wide and glazed over. His black locks hung right above his eyes, curly and unruly. He was skinny, his cheeks nearly caving in. Hopper sighed and looked back at the snow-covered road. Tire tracks were grooved into the blanketing snow. The snow had finally stopped snowing, so Hopper turned off the windshield wipers. He glanced out the window, and saw the several inches of snow along the side of the road. It was a lot of snow for being the beginning of March.

"Did you see much snow in California?"

"No. It hardly snowed." The boy spoke in a lulled, hypnotic voice, almost as if he was half-awake. Hopper could tell he was distracted, probably deep in thought about his past, or his mother.

"What part of California did you live in, again? San Francisco?"

The boy didn't flinch. Hopper knew the correct answer, but he was trying to get the boy to react to something, instead of being a practical zombie staring out the window. He hasn't seen the kid in over a decade, yet Axel was giving short answers, and it was getting infuriating. A small part inside of him wanted to throw the stupid bear at the kid, but he couldn't bring that up yet.

"No, we lived in Oakland."

"Was it fun? Did you like it?" The conversation was dry and boring, so his tone came off as deadpan and flat, his typical speaking voice.

Finally, Axel turned his head over and looked at him. Hopper glanced over to the kid, and connected eyes. Axel's eyes were dark blue, like topaz. He had his mother's eyes. "If you consider hell fun."

"Watch the language." he said sarcastically, but without a smile. "Anyways, did you have a lot of friends? Girlfriends?"

"I didn't have time for many of those things," Axel said as he turned his head back over, looking back out the foggy window, "but I had a few friends, I suppose--but in that place, you never had many friends for long, unless they were your homies."

"Homies?"

The boy groaned. "The real friends in your life, the people you could trust with anything. I forgot that you backwater people don't use slang."

"Backwater?" Hopper said with a small chuckle. "I don't know what you're thinking, but Hawkins is far from backwater. We live in the woods, not the swamps in the South."

The boy rolled his eyes. Hopper returned the gesture and looked back on the road. Cars were slowly passing by, being careful not to lose traction on the slick roads. They were closing in on Hawkins--only about an hour left to go--but the drive was insufferable, and was taking an eternity. If the weather was good and the roads cleared, he would be gassing it, taking the risk of a speeding ticket. He also had a burning urge to light up a smoke.

"How's your mother doing, anyways?"

This caught the boy's real attention, not the droned out glaze he was getting. The boy lifted his head up sharply, and looked over to him. "If things were fine, I wouldn't be here with you. If things were good, I'd be back home in Oakland."

"You consider that place your home? The drugs, gangsters, and poverty? You think that's normal?"

"That's all I know, not like you would understand the struggle." The boy's tone was now growing from dry and distant to venomous and heated. He was getting pissed, and Hopper could tell he struck a nerve.

"Why did you stay there, then? What was so special about Oakland, if things were so bad there?"

"It's not like I had the option to leave. She was planted there, so that means I was, too."

Hopper's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "What was she doing?"

"What?"

"What was she doing!" Hopper shouted, his voice jumping in rage. He had been holding this back since the initial call from CYS. The thoughts of Diana abusing drugs, selling herself on the streets for money and blow simply infuriated him. They were far from close, but that was still his little sister, the person he spent years with, the person he shared the same room and rooftop with.

Axel chuckled, this time. "What do you think? She was giving out hand jobs for fifty bucks and a gram of crack, then she would go smoke it, buy some more, smoke that, and repeat the process. I like to call it "Diana's cycle," and it was the same thing every night, even on the weekends! Prostitution is a constant, never-ending job, you know. She would leave as soon as the sun set and wouldn't come back until the sun rose again, smelling like disappointment and abuse."

What was she thinking? Prostitution? Drugs? Neglecting her only child? What the actual hell was going through her mind?

"Why didn't you try and stop her then? You could've tried to knock some sense into her!"

"Why didn't you?"

Hopper paused, and looked back over to the kid. Axel's eyes were burning with rage, and Hopper could've sworn he could see his irises boiling. "Why didn't I? I tried for some many years to get her shit straight, but she never listened to anyone! Our parents gave up, and the she started sleeping around with crackheads like your father and--"

Hopper stopped himself, and he looked over at Axel. The boy had balled his fists, and his sunken cheeks were burning with anger. Hopper frowned and looked back forward. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"You don't know anything. You got the perfect life, while we had to deal with all the bullshit in the world. You were blessed, while I've had to deal with all the dumb things my parents put us through. You're lucky."

"I'm lucky? I'm lucky that my daughter died and my wife left me? That's lucky? You consider never leaving the town I was born in and losing everything I had, almost myself, lucky?"

The anger left the boy's face. "Sarah's dead? When did that happen?"

"Years ago," Hopper said. He wiped his forehead with his hand, "but I walked through the bullshit storm around me, and I prevailed. I almost lost myself in it, but I kept pushing."

Axel looked away. "I didn't know. So, who's the child you're taking care of then? The agents kept saying you already were providing for another one."

Hopper took a deep breath, and sighed. They passed a sign for Hawkins, and it was fifty miles away. They were getting close. "I took in a homeless girl, her name is El. She's strange, but she saved my life."

"How so?"

"I tell you when we get there," Hopper said. He sighed, and reached behind his back, grabbing the leg of the teddy bear. He pulled it from his sweaty back, and tossed it over to Axel. It landed on his lap. "I found this years ago, and I kept it for you. I thought you would like it."

Axel grabbed the bear, and held it up in the air. His fingers squeezed around the dirty fur. "I forgot about this thing. Thank you."

'At least he's not a complete asshole,' Hopper thought inwardly. He looked over to his nephew, who had pulled the bear into his belly. It was resting on his lap, the snout pressed against his slender chest. 

"Don't worry about it, kid," he said as he looked back away. The snow had started to fall again, and it was starting to block his view of the dangerous road. The windshield wipers quickly began their robotic dance, gliding across the glass. "Welcome home."


	4. Chapter Four: Axel, meet Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the long drive, Axel and Hopper finally arrive to Hopper's cabin in Hawkins, and Axel finally meets the girl who saved his uncle's cabin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness--I cannot believe the reception this has received so far! It makes me so happy! I'm new to his forum, but you guys have been so great so far, so I'm determined to keep going! You guys love this story, and so do I, and I can't wait to release more!
> 
> Like I said previously, the story is about to get juicer with each chapter--starting here. 
> 
> Thank you for the comments, too. I most likely won't respond unless they're negative or very constructive, but I do read everyone, I promise! Keep 'em coming, baby!
> 
> Enjoy this chapter, because I had a blast righting it.

They finally arrived in Hawkins, and Hopper couldn't have been more relieved. It almost felt liberating to get off the highway and into the woods, because it felt like home, finally; his nerves finally settled, and he was back in his environment. This was his town, and he couldn't wait to let Axel experience Hawkins like how Eleven was experiencing it--even if that annoying mall had taken over the townspeople's attention.

Hopper pulled off the road, onto the small dirt road that would snake itself up to his cabin. It wasn't far from the town, but secluded enough compared to his former home. It was enough room for Eleven to go as a teenager, and Hopper to spend his time with her, but with two teenagers in the room, it did spark some more nerves. There was just enough room for two, but adding a new addition to the small family would make things a little cramped. Hopper wasn't against sleeping on the couch--he was used to passing out there watching television and waking up with a stiff neck--and wouldn't be opposed to it. 

Hopper looked over and saw that Axel had fallen asleep. His eyes were gently closed, and the dark bags underneath his eyes had someone disappeared, smoothing his face over. He was clutching the teddy bear loosely. It reminded him of over a decade ago--nearly thirteen years, to be exact--when Axel would fall asleep on his lap while his mother was out at her job at the small diner in town. That was her only professional job, but she worked long and hard hours there to get enough money to move out. Hopper and Axel would spend many nights together, with Hopper sitting with Axel on the couch until the little kid would pass out. 

Axel was practically his first experience with a child. He was several years older than Sarah, so it got him more prepared to become an actual father, simply not a caregiver or uncle. They would spend hours together, watching television, eating, going to the park--old memories in the dark recesses of his mind. They were only memories now, and unfortunately, he would never get those times back with his nephew, or Sarah--even Eleven. 

The truck pulled up to the cabin. Dusk had begun to set, the sky a mix of purple and orange streaks, dark clouds sporadically dotting the sky. The stars weren't out yet, but it would be a beautiful night for it. Hopper put the truck in park, turned off the ignition, and looked around. The tree branches were covered in snow, their bare fingers reaching out into the approaching night. The roof of the cabin was pure white, and the railing around the porch had been topped off by nearly three inches of white fluff. Hopper turned over to Axel, and he gently shook the boy's leg.

"We're home, kid," he spoke softly, not wanting to disturb him. It was the soft voice he used to wake him up when he was only three years old, beckoning him to get up so he could carry the small child to his bed. 

The boy groaned and opened his eyes. He sat up and rolled his shoulders back. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour or so," he replied, looking out the foggy window. The heat had quickly dispersed, and now the cold was finally setting in. "Before we go in, there's something I got to tell you."

"What?"

Hopper drew a sharp breath, and reached for his pack of cigarettes in the front pocket of his flannel. He stopped himself, and smoothed down his hair with his hand. "Um, it's about El. She's...she's not your typical person. She's different, different than you or me."

"What do you mean? Is she deaf or something?"

Dry humor--nice. Hopper exhaled deeply. "No, I don't mean it like that. El, she has these powers. She can do things with her mind, and I'm telling you now so you don't freak out in front of her. She's pretty quiet, so don't get awkward if she doesn't talk to you immediately. She's been through a lot."

The boy closed his mouth and looked down at his lap. The bear was looking at the kid, and Hopper saw him squeeze it slightly. He reached for the pack of cigarettes again, but he didn't stop himself; he grabbed a cigarette from his pocket, and put it against his lips. He was afraid Axel wouldn't take to Eleven--and he couldn't take that. It was never easy to explain to someone what Eleven could do, because people either thought he was blowing smoke up their ass, or he had lost his mind, finally. There was always mixed reactions, but he had never let anyone except the inner circle of people to see the powers Eleven possessed--but Hopper could tell she was self-conscious about it at times.

"So she's telekinetic?"

"Sort of," he said, somewhat taken aback by the boy's answer. Hopper expected him to question even more, or freak out about it, but he seemed more relaxed and calm about the subject than initially anticipated. Hopper hid a small smile in the shadows of the approaching nightfall. "It's hard to explain. You would have to see it for yourself."

The boy bobbed his head. "You know, there was talk on the streets back home that there were people with powers, you know? People who could do these amazing things with their bodies, like flip cars or set things on fire without ever using a match or lighter. There was someone in Oakland who could see into the future and the past, but he ended up getting shot one night. People were scared of him, scared of the truth."

Hopper shuddered. He knew there were other people like Eleven--she even told him about the small group of people she met--but the image of someone putting a gun to Eleven's head and pulling the trigger all because of who she was terrified him. They had been through so much, and he almost watched her die, but if it was something like that, how would he react?

"So you're not thinking I'm crazy or bullshitting?"

"No," the boy replied in a dazed tone. "After all, I'm going to be living with her, right? I might as well accept it how it is and move on."

Hopper finally smiled, because he couldn't contain it. The boy had been through so much, but he was already accepting the new life around him. It displayed Axel's resilience, and that he won't be beaten by his past. He was so much like his mother it almost hurt him.

"Let's go inside," Hopper said as he opened the door, cold air blowing filling the cab of the truck.

***  
Hopper opened the door for Axel. The boy stepped into the warm living den as Hopper closed the door behind them. The fireplace was burning, the fire roaring with life. The dishes had been washed, too.

"El, we're home! Come meet Axel!" Hopper shouted as he tore off his coat. He waltz over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of beer. It was much needed to calm himself down, and to unwind after the long day of driving through the winter wonderland that had struck Indiana.

Hopper pressed the bottle to his lips and spun around to see Eleven emerging from her room. She looked exhausted, and walked slowly into the living area. Her air was starting to get longer, and it looked good on her. She looked over to Axel, and she offered a weak smile.

"Hi," Axel said awkwardly. He sauntered over to her, and he held out his hand. "My name is Axel."

She looked over to Hopper, and then back at the hand in front of her. She awkwardly held out her hand, and they shook. "Eleven."

"That's a cool name," said Axel. 

She smiled shyly. Hopper guzzled down some of the cold booze and walked back to his room to leave them alone to introduce themselves some more. Eleven watched him go, and Hopper closed the door behind him.

Axel sat down his bag. "Uncle Jim told me you're special. You got powers, right? You can do things with your mind?"

Eleven looked down at her feet. Her lips thinned out, and she took a shy step backwards. Axel frowned, and sat down on the arm of the couch. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. It's just pretty cool, you know?"

She nodded softly and looked up. "Un-cle?"

He blinked. "Yeah--uncle. Don't you know what an uncle is?"

She shook her head, and Axel cocked his head. "My mother is his brother, and that makes him my uncle."

"Where is your mother?" she asked softly, a voice fitting for a mouse. 

Axel crossed his arms over his chest. "Far away."

"Where at?"

"Uh...California."

"Cali-for-nia?" she asked slowly. Her small vocabulary was odd, but Axel could immediately tell there was something different about her, and simply not about her powers. There was something deeper about that, and he could see it in her eyes.

"Yeah, California. It's a place far away from here. I came here on a plane, you know, those big things that fly in the air. It brought me here so I can be with you two."

"Why?"

He looked down to his shoes. They were covered in white spots, and his socks were wet from the melting snow. "She did some bad things. She got in trouble, and some people in suits had to take me away from her."

She gingerly walked over to him, and gave him a wider smile than he anticipated. "It will be okay. You...are at a...better place."

"I hope so," Axel said with a small sigh. Her small talk didn't bother him. Back home, he knew many children of immigrants that couldn't speak perfect English, but that didn't matter to him. Eleven seemed nice enough. 

"It will be," she said. "Better place now."

He smiled at her. "Yeah--a better place now." Axel looked over to the fireplace, and it was radiating heat. In Oakland, if it was cold out, he would have to find something to generate heat since they had no heating source in their tiny apartment they rented. It was dismal, but here, it felt rustic and relaxing, and for the first time in a long time, he finally felt at peace. It wouldn't be easy, but he knew he could make this place his home.


	5. Chapter Five: The Party (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel finally meets The Party--and the girl that steals his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I'm so sorry for being inactive for nearly a week--it's been freaking crazy!
> 
> I hope this chapter suffices, though! :)
> 
> I'm also breaking this chapter into two different parts to eliminate having you guys to read an extremely long chapter, because there is lots of character interaction going to happen within a small timeframe, so I'm dicing it up!

"Axel, wake up--it's time to go to school."

His eyes fluttered open. The room was lit with beams of spring sunlight. His head hurt, but it always was throbbing and aching. It was probably from his lack of nutrients, but it was something he had grown accustomed to, like leaving the door open whenever he slept; if his mother was too drunk or high to get back to his room, or if one of her pimps were busting into their tiny apartment--which did happen--he needed to get up and get out immediately. 

Axel rolled over onto his side, and saw Hopper standing in the doorway, dressed in his tan sheriff's uniform. His hat was on crooked, and there was a steaming mug in his hand. On the front was a picture of a pig dressed in a police uniform, holding a pistol in its little hands. Hopper took a long sip off the mug, and frowned. "Get up, or your breakfast will get cold--or Eleven will eat it."

Axel sighed and sat up, the covers falling off his bare chest. He looked down, and saw his caved in stomach, and the outlines of his ribcage. He gasped slightly and pulled the covers back over his chest. Hopper saw, and turned around immediately, and walked out of view. Axel launched himself out of the bed, and closed the door quickly. He turned around and pressed his back against the wall. "Shit."

He walked back over and reached for his duffle bag, and pulled out a black tee-shirt, a brown jacket--the same jacket he wore whenever Hopper picked him up from the airport three days ago--and a pair of jeans. He ruffled his curly hair, which Hopper insisted he cut because it was too long and unruly, and slipped on the clothes. He looked out the window, and saw much of the snow had melted over the course of the three days. The spring was finally setting in, and the several inches of snow was finally going away. He sighed and reached back into the bag to grab his brown boots, and paused.

On the top of the small pile of clothes, along with his boots, was a picture of his mother and himself, smiling back at him. Axel reached down and grabbed the photo, and he sat back down on the bed. The picture was five years ago, which was a much happier time. It was before the major drugs began to plague Diana, and before the prostitution began. She used to work at a small coffee joint near the heart of the city, and only then the smell of reefer came from the apartment. It was around Christmas, and even though Christmas was one of the shittiest times of the year, they still managed to make themselves happy around the holidays. 

Axel threw the photo back on the ground. Those times were only memories now, photos in a bag; they were in the past, fragmentations of his thoughts, and they would never come back. That was before the neglection, the blow, the prostitution, the long, sleepless nights worrying if Diana Johnson would appear on the small television screen, murdered on the corner after blowing some guy to get some crack. They were stupid, horrible times that he wish he could've avoided or forget about, but now they were simply mental scars, permanently seared into his brain. Those were forever, like the photo.

Axel tied the laces on his boots and walked out of the bedroom. Hopper was leaning against the counter in the kitchen, sipping at the mug in his hand. Eleven was sitting at the small table, wolfing down a plate of waffles drenched in maple syrup. Axel sauntered over to the table and sat down before a plate of three waffles, and he picked up his fork. He demolished the waffles within a few minutes, much to Eleven's surprise, who only put down one waffle before he sat across from her. Axel finished the plate, and he stood, putting the plate in the sink. Hopper was staring at him with narrow eyes, and it made him uncomfortable. 

The sheriff set down the mug and clapped his hands. "Time for school." He walked past Eleven, ruffling her hair as he passed. "I'll see you on my lunch break, kiddo. Good until then?"

Eleven nodded several times, and shoved another forkful of waffles down her throat. Hopper nodded in acceptance, finishing their silent conversation. He opened the door and ushered Axel out the door, and closed it behind him. Axel bounded down the stairs of the porch, the melted snow crunching underneath his boot. He climbed into the truck, Hopper getting in on the opposite side. The engine roared with life, and they began down the small road heading towards town.

Hopper cleared his throat. "Hungry this morning?"

Axel gulped. "Sure thing, they were really good."

"Cut the shit, kid. Those were frozen waffles I put in the toaster for a few minutes and slapped some syrup on them--they aren't that amazing. Are you always hungry?"

"Look, I don't really wanna--"

"Oh, I do!" he said gruffly. "I would like to discuss it, because it's pretty damn noticeable. What the hell happened in Oakland? Was it that bad to wear you look like a walking zombie? I could probably flick you and break one of those ribs."

Axel looked over and saw Hopper's hands tightening around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white like the snow that surrounded them. "Of course it was bad. We never had much money to get food, and on some nights, we didn't get to eat--or at least, I didn't get to eat. Food was a rarity."

Hopper slammed his hand off the steering wheel. "God dammit! What was she thinking? I knew it wasn't the best, but this is..."

"What all did you know?"

He sighed. "Bits and pieces. We hardly communicated, but when we did, I could hear it in her voice. The exhaustion, the raspy tone of the drugs. She mentioned money problems multiple times, but she wouldn't let me help, and she never bothered to help, either."

"Well, we never knew what was actually happening," Axel said as he turned his head. "I never knew you got divorced or Sarah died."

"That's because that is information that no one needs to know about, or talk about--and we'll leave it at that."

Axel nodded. "Sounds good for me, then." It wasn't good, because he wanted to tell him what had all happened--like the break-ins, the abuse his mother suffered from the pimps, the gangbanging he started to do to help out with the money--but perhaps that was information that didn't need to be disputed, too. For now, it was to be left as it is.

***  
The truck pulled up to the curb, and came to a sudden stop. The sun was shinning behind thick clouds, a large shadow overcasting the entire schoolgrounds. Students were buzzing around, bounding off yellow buses, climbing out of cars. They were dressed in a radiant array of winter coats, the colors making it look like a kaleidoscope. Axel sighed and reached for the handle on the door, mentally preparing himself to be braced with the morning chill.

"Come to the station after school is done," Hopper said. "My shift won't be long after you arrive, so you won't be bored. It's the easiest way without bugging people."

Axel looked over his shoulder. "You're not a people person, are you?"

"People annoy me, kid," Hopper said bluntly. "They ask stupid questions and waste my time--so no, I'm not a people person. I'll see you later."

"Bye," Axel said as he flashed a small smile back at his uncle, and hopped out of the truck. He closed the door, and Hopper quickly zipped out of the parking area, allowing room for more people to drop off their biological children. Axel sighed and bounded towards the school, pulling his jacket tighter. In his pocket was a small tentative schedule that was sent in the mail that had a list of his classes and where they were located, and at the end of the day, he had to report to the guidance counselor and talk about some redundant information.

He passed by kids, people huddled in their own cliques. They were deep in their own conversations, completely oblivious to the new kid walking past them. Axel looked around among the sea of heads and eyes, many of them capped off with a cozy winter hat, one of the many small things that he never had, because he couldn't afford one regularly, and the fact that it practically never snowed in Oakland. He looked to his right, and saw a small group of boys bounding towards the doors to the school. They were coming from the parking area, too, but from farther back. One of the boys was black, and the three looked like the kids that would've gotten their asses beat in the streets. They were deep in chatter, and giggling over something. Over the ocean of voices, he could've sworn he heard the name "Mike."

Axel chuckled and stepped into the warm school, and the bell rung overhead. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the folded piece of paper, and he unfolded it. People began to pass by, brushing their shoulders against him, bumping into him. His first class was Algebra, and he groaned. Still looking at the piece of paper, he took a step to his right, and walked right into someone. They collided hard, and it nearly knocked him onto his feet. He looked up, and was staring into the eyes of the black boy from the small groups of boys.

"What the hell, man? Watch where you're going!" the boy hissed. The three other boys, two with curly heads of hair and one who's hair kind of looked like a coconut. They were smaller, skinny boys who probably couldn't handle themselves in a fight. 

"Lucas, chill out," one of the boys said behind him. He was taller than the other three, and had black curly hair. "I don't think he's from around here."

"Sorry," Axel said with a shrug. "I'm new. I was wondering if you guys could show me where this class is?" He handed the tiny piece of paper over to the black boy, who was reluctant to take it. He looked down at the piece of paper in his hands, and a smile cracked his face.

"Aw, man! This kid has Burns for Algebra!" the boy named Lucas exclaimed. "Man, he got into the hard class! That sucks for you. Will has that class, he can show you the way." The boy handed the piece of paper back to Axel, and began walking down the hall. 

"He's already off to look for Max?" the pudgier one of the group groaned. "He's got to pull his head out of her ass so he can breathe. I'll catch you guys later!" The boy ran down the hall, enveloped in the sea of passing students. 

The taller boy rolled his eyes. "She's probably not even here yet. Anyways, my name is Mike, and this is Will. He'll show you around, okay?"

Axel nodded, and held out a hand. Typically, in the city, there were other formalities to being introduced to someone on the streets, but here, in white person county, he knew that wouldn't fly around here. "My name is Axel Johnson."

Mike Wheeler quickly shook his hand, and then bounded down the hall, calling out for the other two boys. The names Lucas and Dustin graced his ears. Axel looked back down at the piece of paper, with ugly font and times written all over the paper. He looked back up, and saw Coconut Hair staring at him with glazed but curious eyes. 

"What's your name?"

"Will," the small boy said with a thin smile. "Will Byers. It's nice to meet you."

"You, too," Axel said. "Is this class hard? I'm not very good at math."

Will shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle. We're going over multiplying and dividing fractions right now, so I can help you catch up." He looked over his shoulder, and, as the parting ocean of students walked past, came in a girl with fiery red hair. On the top of her pretty face was a white hat. Her hands were tucked into her gray jacket, with a backpack bouncing off her shoulders.

Axel's heart stopped beating. She was beautiful, with her angelic hair, smooth skin, cute dimples that perfected her smile. She was the splitting image of beauty; if you were to look the word beautiful in the dictionary, a picture of this girl would pop underneath the word, with no definition or anything. 

Will turned back around. "There's Max. She's also our friend."

The eighth wonder of the world walked up to them. "Hey, Will. Did Lucas already walk by?"

"Yeah, he's looking for you."

Max smiled curtly. "Good, that's how it should be."

Will blinked. "Oh--this is Axel, the new kid. I'm pretty sure he's in our grade, too."

Max retained the same curt, cute smile. "I'm Max."

The words almost didn't come to his lips. They rolled off his tongue like warm butter, and they fell right to the floor. "Ax...Axel. My name is...Axel."

She winked back at him. "I'll be seeing you two turds later, then."

She walked past, and Axel watched each step she took. God, he had been here for five minutes and he was completely enumerated by her already. He wanted her, and he wanted her to be his--and he knew that nothing was going to stop him from having Max.


	6. Chapter Six: The Party (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel gets to meet the Party more, and also is introduced to the bully who makes their lives miserable--and he's an asshole.

"Alright, class, that ends our discussion for today. Make sure you do your homework for tomorrow!"

Axel closed the textbook in front of him and pushed back the seat underneath him with his backside. The rest of the students in the class began to shove their textbooks and papers in their backpacks, but Axel neatly tucked it underneath his armpit and pushed his chair back into the desk. Will was several seats ahead of him, and he was already walking towards the door.

Axel ran around to join up with him in the hallway. Students were passing by, deep in their own cliquey conversations. Axel found himself slightly above the average height of the school, nearly standing an entire head taller than Will. 

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Will asked as they began to walk down the long corridor filled with closing lockers and squeaky sneakers. 

"No," Axel said. "It was awkward introducing myself to the entire class, but besides that, it wasn't too bad."

"Get use to it, because you'll have to do it for every class, even though it's practically the same kids each time," Will said as he adjusted the straps on his backpack. "You stand in front of forty uninterested, bored eyes and tell them your name, and they stare back at you with a glazed expression like they'd rather be anywhere else but there."

"I'm pretty sure I had the same expression on my face," Axel said as they bounded down the hall, maneuvering around students. Axel looked up and saw several students looking at him, all girls, and they all smiled when he made eye contact with them. They giggled and turned away, whispering to each other. Axel smirked and looked back down to his boots.

"We don't get new students often, so whenever someone hears that there is a new kid, the girls get all giddy," said Will with a small smile. "It kind of ticks off the boys. For some reason, all the girls always think the new kid is cute, and it ruins the boys' chances with getting with their crush."

"Does it make you jealous?"

Will shook his head. "Nah, it doesn't bother me."

"Don't have a crush?"

"Nope." Will shook his head. "What were the people like in Oakland?"

"Either gangbangers or whores," Axel said with a small shrug. "It wasn't too interesting."

"So, who are you staying with? Do you have family in Hawkins? Why are you here, anyways?"

Axel opened his mouth to speak, but he was quickly interjected by a loud, mischievous voice that made Axel's skin crawl. He looked up, and he came face-to-face with a stocky boy dressed in a flannel and jeans. His hair was greased back, and he had a very punchable, stupid face. Dark, narrow eyes were slapped above a pointy nose and thin lips, with a splash of freckles splattered across his cheeks.

"What's up, faggot?" the boy asked as he stepped in front of them. Axel balled his fists as Will took an instinctive step backwards.

"N-nothing, Troy," said Will nervously. "Just leave me alone." Will tried to walk around Troy, but the boy caught him by the arm and threw him back. 

"Hold it, zombie boy--you're not going anywhere just yet. I didn't see you this morning, what happened? Did your creepy ass brother bring you, or your crazy mother? How about your daddy, huh? The piece of shit who left you?"

"Stop it, Troy," Will said as he bit his lip. "Just leave me alone, I'm going to be late to history."

"That sounds like a you problem," Troy said with a small chuckle. "I'm having fun! Who the hell are you, anyways?"

Axel looked over and saw Troy was looking at him, with the piercing dark eyes that seemed to be looking right through him. Axel rolled his shoulders. "None of your damn business, that's who."

Troy chuckled. "You're that new kid, huh? You think you're tough shit? You have yet to see tough, kid."

The anger inside Axel's belly was boiling. He never put up with obnoxious assholes like him, and had little patience for them. He had dealt with enough of his type in the streets to grow old of this act. Axel stepped forward and almost touched noses with Troy. "You know nothing about me, douche bag. Back the hell off."

The bully wasn't intimated, though. Troy smiled and got even closer, enough for Axel to feel the boy's breath on his face. "You want to fight, kid? You don't know who you're talking to."

"You don't know who you're talking to, asshole," Axel growled. "Back up before I smack the grease off your head."

Troy smirked. "I'd like to see you try that."

The boiling point finally spilt over. Axel grabbed Troy by the collar of his flannel and threw him to the side, slamming the boy into the closest locker. The students around him scattered, but incased them in a semi-circle, many of them cheering. They were chanting for them to fight, and one boy wanted to see blood. Axel tightened the grip around the collar, and a large part of him wanted to close his hands around Troy's throat.

"Is that enough for you?"

Troy latched his hands around Axel's wrist, and began to pull. "Get the hell off of me, man! You're crazy! Teacher!"

Axel frowned and slammed the boy hard against the locker, letting go. Troy stumbled and took a step away from the boy. He smiled and began to call for the closest teacher, screaming loudly. Axel turned around and grabbed the textbook, which fell onto the floor, and tucked it back underneath his armpit. He grabbed Will by the arm with his free hand and began to pull the boy. "Come on, let's go to history."

***  
The bell rang loudly, enough to pull Axel from his daydream. He closed the third textbook he received for the day, now a science textbook from Mr. Clark, and now his arms were growing heavy from the amassing weight of the books. They were paperweights in his feathery arms, but he had built enough strength by now to continue grinding through the day, and ready to add another one on top of that.

The science class was with the entire Party, excluding Maxine. Unfortunately, he had no classes with her, but that was all right; he would see her at the end of the day, and that was enough to keep to him going and learning throughout the day.

"Man, that class that dumb," Lucas said as he tugged on his winter coat. "There's no reason to be turning miles into kilometers."

Mike shrugged. "It's what the UK uses, and they seem to be doing well for themselves."

"Says the kid who likes to drink tea," Dustin said with a goofy smile on his face. He stuffed his science textbook into his backpack. "Coffee hater."

"I don't hate coffee!" Mike quipped as he slid a winter cap on top of his black curls. "That's complete bullshit!"

Dustin shrugged. "Whatever, man. You guys want to play after school? I got an idea for this new campaign that should take us over sixty hours--"

Lucas threw on his backpack. "I can't. Max and I are going to the mall. She wants to find a new jacket or something."

"Didn't she just get a new jacket last week?" Mike asked as he threw a red scarf around his neck. 

"No," Lucas said with a roll of his dark eyes. "She had one picked out but then, all of a sudden, she thought it looked ugly on her! I cannot literally understand that girl! One minute she likes something, then the next minute, she hates it!"

"Just like you," Dustin said with a toothless grin. 

"Shut up, Dustin." The boys began to walk out of the classroom. Mr. Clark was rummaging through a pile of papers, murmuring to himself. Will turned back and sauntered over to Mr. Clark, where they began to engage in an inaudible conversation. The other three boys waltz out of the classroom, Axel looking his shoulder over to Will.

Zombie boy? Why would Troy call him "zombie boy?"

Axel turned back and sauntered out into the classroom. The three boys were standing in a circle, talking to each other, but their words were tuned out by the sea of conversation around them. He got closer to the boys.

"Doesn't he seem weird the past couple of days?" Mike's voice was hushed.

"It's coming close to two years since it happened," Dustin replied. "Remember when we acted weird last year, too? I mean, if you had to the Upside Down twice, that shit would mess you up."

"What's the Upside Down?" Axel asked as he got closer to the ground. "What happened two years ago?"

The three boys' faces went white in panic. Lucas turned around and began walking down the hall, while Mike and Dustin both shifted uncomfortably. Axel switched the book to the opposite side of his body, the textbooks finally growing heavy in his arms.

"Why did Troy call him "zombie boy?" What happened, guys?"

Dustin looked over to Mike. "Should we tell him?"

Mike shrugged. "Can we trust him, that's the question?"

"Trust me with what?"

Dustin blinked. "Uhm, Mike, I think this is your story to tell. She is your girlfriend, after all. I'm going to find Lucas and Max." Dustin turned around on his heel, and bolted down the hall, calling for Lucas. The ballcap on his curly locks bounced up and down.

Mike sighed. "It's a long story--and you're probably not going to believe it."

"I'm always down for a good story."

Mike shifted, and he crossed his arms. Many of the students had now dispersed, and it was now just those two in the hallway. "Well, if I tell you this, you swear not to tell anybody else?"

"How bad is it?"

"Do you swear?" The question came with more heat and animosity than Axel had intended, so Axel nodded quickly.

"If I tell you this story, that means you have to join our Party, too, and you'll be our friend," Mike said with a small story. "Do you promise that, too? Will told me what happened between you and Troy at lunch, and I think it would be beneficial if we became friends so we can hate that douchebag together."

Axel blinked. It was a blatant way to become friends, but in this new town where he knew nobody, it made sense to make some friends at some point, especially since he already made an enemy. "Sure--I promise."

Mike nodded, and then looked down to his feet. "Two years ago, Will went missing one night. We don't remember why, but he did. He was taken by some creature we dubbed the Demogorgon, and it took him to this place called the Upside Down--an apocalyptic version of our own world. There was a government agency researching the thing, and there was an entry way into its dimension. We needed to get Will back, but we didn't know how to, until we met this girl."

"A girl?"

"Yes, a girl. She has these types of...powers, you see? She can do things with her mind, crazy shit. She managed to shut the way for the creature to come in, while some people got in to go save Will, and bring him back to the real world. At some point, she got sucked in, and trapped, but she got herself out of the Upside Down, and now she's our friend--and my girlfriend."

"What's her name?" Axel's heart was beating, because the name of the girl was on the tip of his tongue.

"Her name is Eleven."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to make a small note that I do not condone the use of racial/derogatory/offensive words, but for the sake of the time period and staying true to the show, I had to. 
> 
> If you guys remember, Joyce Byers quoted this word when filing the initial missing persons report to Hopper in season one, and I kept it going. 
> 
> Please don't take offense to it! I'm only staying true to the show and story! If anyone has a problem with anything I add into the story, please let me know so I can fix it! Preferably private message me (if that's possible).
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7: The Curious People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Axel and Troy settle the dust from earlier, while Axel learns the truth of the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy to finally having the time to update this story! I'm sorry about the hiatus, but let's pick back up where we left off.

"So, that's really what has happened for the past year and a half," Mike said. Axel's brain was buzzing, a numbing sensation that made the world spin around him. He knew she has powers, but what was the extent? According to these random ass kids he barely knows, the extent was mind-blowing; she had the abilities to lift cars off the street and throw them, but to also see into the future and past, touching memories and thoughts in the darkest depths in the human mind. How was that remotely possible?

Axel looked around. School had ended nearly an hour ago, and there wasn't a soul in sight, except for the four boys that stood near him. He looked back at Mike, who looked at him with suspicious eyes. How was he supposed to react? These were the only people he’s met, and they told him the craziest, most fictional story ever—or it would be, if it weren’t true.

"Well?" Dustin said. He hopped off the swing he was using for the past forty minutes and readjusted his cap. "What'cha think? Pretty gnarly, right?"

Lucas smacked Dustin in the arm. "Gnarly? Shut up, man. We just told a stranger about the biggest secret of our lives, and you want him to think it's gnarly?"

Dustin winced and rubbed the spot Lucas punched him. "It is gnarly, you ass."

"Can you two stop?" Mike snapped. He looked over to his two friends, and frowned. The two boys exchanged awkward glances with Mike, and muttered their apologies. Mike glanced back over to Axel. "What do you think, though?"

Axel looked down at his hands. "What do you want me to think? That she's some kind of freak, or something? Why should I believe you, anyway?'

Mike glanced over to Lucas, and the taller boy shrugged. Mike sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "I don't expect you believe us, but it's the truth. We've been through hell, and seen some crazy shit. We are trusting you with this, though, and I don't want you running your mouth off to people about Eleven--but if you really want to believe us, talk to Will. He’s, uh, been through the most of it."

Axel looked over to the smaller boy, who turned away slightly. Will bit his lip, and Axel could see his skin going pale at the sound of his voice. If what Mike and the others said was true, and seeing the unease in Will's face, it must be true--it has to be. From what everyone was talking about, and Will being called "zombie boy", it was apt that all that crazy shit actually happened, even if it seemed fake.

"Sure, whatever," Axel said. He stood up from the swing he was sitting on. The world still felt if as it was still spinning around him, but he shook his head. "What happens now, though? You guys just live your lives like nothing ever happened?"

"Of course," Dustin quipped. "No one except us and a few others know that Eleven exists, and even though I think it would be awesome if she would come do some of her awesome power stuff at the school, we just keep our heads down and go on through our days."

"I told you, no!" Mike barked. "We're not letting Eleven put herself in danger like that--and it's not like Hopper would let her out of his eye to do that, anyway. She's already on the tightest leash ever."

Axel bit his bottom lip. Everything about this story was beginning to fall into place--but he didn't want to expose himself to them, not yet; they may be trusting him with information he could've figured out from Hopper, he didn't want to tell them everything about himself, he wasn't an open book. "Who's Hopper?'

"Eleven's adopted dad," Lucas said, "and the dick of the chief of Hawkins."

"He's not a dick, Lucas," Mike said as he grabbed his backpack off the frozen ground. He pulled the straps over his slender shoulders. "He saved all of our asses twice--you can give him some respect, at least."

Lucas threw his hands up defensively. "No offense, man, didn't mean to piss you off about Eleven's daddy, but he is kind of a dick. My mom said that in high-school he would go around and put dead fish in peoples' lockers."

Mike rolled his eyes. "How many times are you going to tell us that story? Is that the only one you got?"

Axel grabbed his backpack and threw it on. He looked across the playground, and saw another teen sauntering towards them. The other boys didn't notice him yet, but he had a growing feeling he should say something. 

"Yeah, but you know the point I'm getting at," Lucas said. "He's sorta an asshole."

"You're sorta annoying," Mike said as he turned in the direction of the approaching teen. He paused, as Lucas and Dustin turned to face the teen. Will turned apathetically, his head hung down. Axel glanced over to Will, and it looked like he immediately knew who it was, and already accepted an invisible, unborn defeat. 

"Oh shit!" Dustin cried out. He grabbed his bag quickly. "It's Troy!" Dustin darted off, sprinting towards the close parking lot. Lucas turned to run after him, but suddenly, Axel saw two other boys blow past him and grabbed Lucas and Mike by the shoulders, and push them to the ground. They dropped like paperweights, colliding with each other. Will glanced up and took a step back. Axel threw off his backpack, the sack dropping to the ground with a solid thud.

Troy approached the small congregation and smirked. "Did the faggot club end early? Where did the fat one run off to?"

"Piss off, Troy," Lucas said as he sat up. Troy chuckled and planted his boot into Lucas's chest, pushing him back to the ground. His head slammed against the snow. Will took another step back, his backpack pressing against the metal pole of the swing set. 

"He doesn't really matter," Troy said with a small shrug. "I'll deal with him later--but for now, it's you three I'm interested in."

"Leave Will out of it," Mike grunted from the snow. "You can do whatever you want to us two, but don't pick on him."

Troy glanced over to Will with narrow eyes. He took a deep breath in, and then he slowly exhaled. "Nah, I'm not really worried about him, either. I don't want to pick up some infection or have him eat my brains. His can stand there and watch me beat the shit out of you two and your new friend there." 

Axel looked up and saw Troy was glaring at him with a wicked smile plastered on his face. His two lackeys were towering over Lucas and Mike, and Troy stood several feet before Axel. "Yeah, the kid who wanted to embarrass me in front of the entire school earlier."

"You brought it on yourself," Axel said through gritted teeth.

"You brought this on yourself, asshole," Troy said as he cracked his knuckles. "I know you're new here, but you're going to learn real fast about who you can fuck with and not--and I'm one of those people who you don't even think twice about trying to fuck with. That was a cute little show earlier, but now I'll throw down."

"Were you too afraid to get your ass beat in front of the entire school? I get that," Axel said with a small smirk. "You don't want to tarnish your reputation of being the dumb kid who gets bullied by the new kid, right?”

“You better shut your mouth before I knock your teeth down your throat.” Troy got close to Axel again, their noses nearly touching. Troy bit his lip, and then began to chuckle. He glanced back over to the rest of the boys on the ground. “What’s your deal with them, huh? You like to hang around fairies? You one of them too? A queer?”

Axel smirked. “You’re the one who approached me within kissing distance—so how about you back off before I smack the ugly out of you, and then show your mom how a real man fuc—”

Before getting off his sentence, Axel felt the heavy knuckles of Troy’s right hook dig into his cheek. Axel shot his head back and stumbled, pain flaring throughout his face. He brought his eyes back to ground view before another fist landed into his gut. The air exploded from his lungs, flooding into the cold air. Axel threw a wild punch, completely missing Troy. The other boy shoved Axel to the ground. Screams were being shouted in the background, but Axel couldn’t distinguish them from the throbbing in his ears. 

“What’cha say? I didn’t hear you too well. Speak up whenever you’re talking to me!” Troy shouted. 

Axel rolled over onto his hands and knees. It was hard to breathe, it felt as if his lungs were on fire. Something wet had landed on his cheek, warm and thick. He grimaced and wiped the spit off his lips. “I said I was going to f—“.

Something hard landed into the side of his chest. All the air that Axel had collected escaped, a sharpness stabbing his insides. Before he could realize it, another blow hit the exact spot. Axel turned his head slightly, battling through tears, seeing Troy loading back for another kick. His chest burned, but Axel rolled onto his back as Troy extended his leg, kicking air.

Axel quickly got to his feet. The wetness on his cheek had dripped down to his neck, and it was progressing it’s way to his shirt collar. He wiped his cheek, pulling his hand back. Crimson liquid covered some of his fingers. He smirked and looked at the other boy. “You punch like a pussy.”

“Axel, stop!” someone shouted. Troy glanced over his shoulder towards the direction of the voice, and Axel grasped the moment quickly. He threw a wild fist, connecting with the side of Troy’s nose. Troy screamed as he collapsed to the ground, landing on the wet ground. 

Axel jumped on top of Troy, and began to throw several punches rapidly. Troy was covering his face, and through the shielding fingers, Axel could see bright blood streaming down his face, mixing with hot tears—but that didn’t stop him. Axel threw several more punches, mainly hitting Troy in the arms or missing. Troy pulled an arm back and threw it, connecting with Axel’s lip. Axel snapped his head back, and grabbed Troy’s hands, pinning them against the blood-stained snow. Axel pulled one hand back and connected it against his exposed cheek. 

He pulled it back and punched harder. Pulled it back, harder. Harder. Harder. More blood. More screams, pleas for help.

His body was burning, his muscles having mustered out enough energy. Axel sucked in a deep breath and fell back into the snow. He sat up and saw Troy laying in the snow, covering his face, crying. The two other boys with him were standing still, having stepped away from the others. Their eyes were nearly popping out of their heads.

“Jesus Christ!” one of the boys exclaimed. “He killed him, he killed Troy!”

Axel smiled and got to his feet. He looked down to his hands, blood covering them. He staggered over to Troy and wiped the blood on Troy’s coat. The other boy was laying there, sobbing and muttering inaudible words. 

“Get up, you pussy,” Axel said through gasps. “You wanted a fight, and you got one, but I’m not finished. Get up! Get on your feet!”

One of the boys stepped forward and pushed Axel. “Get the hell out of here, man! You won, we get it! Back off!”

The anger burned through Axel. He threw his hand back to throw another punch at the boy, but something caught his arm. He looked back and saw Mike and Lucas holding onto his arm, their eyes’ filled with surprise, fear, and bloodlust.

“That’s enough, man!” Mike shouted. “Let’s just get out of here. It’s over.”

Axel looked back at Mike, and shifted his glance over to Lucas. Will had moved behind the two boys before him, with his head down, his eyes still glazed over and staring at the snow. Axel looked back over to Troy, who was being assisted up by his two friends. His nose was bleeding profusely, and there was a large gash below his eye. There was also a large split in his upper lip.

“If I ever catch you messing with these guys, I’ll beat your ass worse than this,” Axel said, spitting out some blood, “or, even if I see you, either at school or in town, I’m going to kill you. You got that?”

Troy looked up and nodded several times. The streams of tears were cutting through the wet blood on his face. Axel looked at the friend on the left, and then to the one on the right. They all turned and began to walk away quickly, helping the beaten boy. Troy aggressively shrugged off their hands, and they began to jog away, heading towards the direction they came from. Axel wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his coat.

“Holy shit,” Lucas said behind Axel. “You beat the shit out of him! You had him crying like a little girl!”

“Are you okay?” Mike said, turning Axel around. “That doesn’t look good.” 

“It felt good to see that asshole get bullied for a change.” Lucas plastered a large grin on his face, his eyes nearly bursting with excitement.

“I’ll be fine,” Axel said, wiping away more blood from his cheek. “I’ve been in worse fights.”

“Back home?” Mike asked as Lucas’s smile began to fade away gradually. 

“Yeah,” Axel said as he looked away. The taste of blood was staining his mouth, the metallic grit of the crimson liquid being to coagulate on his gums. He spit again, a gross mix of red and white landing onto the melting snow, “back home.”

“Where was that, exactly? I don’t think you told us,” Mike said. He threw his hands up defensively, “if you don’t mind telling us.”

“I mean, it’s only fair,” Lucas said with a small shrug. “We told him everything about El, so you’d think that he would—"

“Oakland,” Axel interjected, looking back at the three boys. “Oakland, California.”

Lucas winced. “Damn, that’s a far way. That’s like, half of the entire country. Did you fly? Did you get a taxi and just made your way across?”

Axel shook his head. “I flew.”

“Why’d you leave?” Mike asked sheepishly. Axel looked over at him, and he saw Mike’s eyes: filled with skepticism. In Mike’s defense, it did seem weird to come the entire way from California, from city cat to country mouse.

Axel looked down. “It’s complicated and not very pretty. California isn’t as glamorous as you would imagine it to be.” Why was he telling them this? He saved them from Troy and his friends, which is suffice enough to cover for the entire story about Eleven, but why this? Why did they need to know the truth? Did they deserve to know?

“My mom had her issues, lots of them. They were small at first, but they got worse as I got older. We lived in a small, cramped apartment my entire life. Most nights, my mom would bring her issues back home.”

Mike and Lucas looked at one another, and that’s when Will’s head shot up. The glazed stupor had passed, his eyes looking rejuvenated; whatever Axel had to say, he wanted to hear. “What kind of issues?” he asked in a voice fit for a mouse.

Axel smiled sadly. “Drugs, prostitution, creepy dudes—the whole nine yards.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Prositution? You mean, like hookers? Your mom was a hooker?”

Mike turned and socked Lucas in the arm. Lucas recoiled, stumbling backwards, nearly falling into the snow. “Man, what the hell?”

“You don’t say that about someone’s mom, dude!”

“No, Mike,” Axel said, defeated. “My mom was a hooker—that’s the truth. She lost custody of me, and now I’m here, in this little town, beating up kids on my second day here. It’s not pretty or fun to talk about, but it’s who I am.”

Mike nodded. “I’m sure that sucks, but we should probably get home before our parents start to freak out. I heard my mom tell my dad that I’m giving her more gray hair than Nancy ever has.”

“Are we still playing D&D tomorrow?” Will asked quietly, his voice barely breaking over the gentle wind passing by. They began to walk back towards the swing set.

“Sure,” Mike said, grabbing his backpack off the snow. He wiped it off the bottom, and then slung it over his shoulders. “Didn’t you say you were working on some new campaign ideas or something?”

“Yeah, but it’s not completely done yet,” Will said meekly. “I still need to finish the ending of it.”

Mike shrugged. “That’s fine. You guys wanna come over after school then?” Axel reached down, grabbing his bag off the ground. It was heavier than it was in the morning, now filled with three textbooks and five pages of homework due tomorrow.

“I got to do my chores first, but then I’ll be over,” Lucas said as they began to saunter towards the bike rack. “My mom has been up my ass the past few days. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

Mike stood his bike up, and glanced over to Axel. “Have you ever played?”

“Played what?” 

Mike smiled. “Dungeons and Dragons? We play it all the time in my basement. You can come over if you want, but you can just watch and learn, if you want. We’re in the middle of a campaign already.”

“Uh, sure, I guess,” Axel said. No wonder they get bullied every day.

“Awesome, I’ll give you my address tomorrow before first bell, okay? See you tomorrow, man!” Before Axel could open his mouth, Mike and Lucas began to ride down the shoveled sidewalk, the wind blowing through their air. Axel watched them round the corner of the school, and noticed Will was still there, sitting on his bike, staring at the handlebars. In the distance, he could hear Lucas, “where the hell is Dustin at? Did he ditch us?”

“You know,” he said, looking up. He had a thin smile on his face, “you didn’t have to do that for us—but it was pretty cool watching you beat up Troy. No one ever stands up to him.”

“I’m just glad he got up in his place,” Axel said with a small shrug.   
Will nodded, and his smile dropped. “I’m sorry about your mom. It sounds rough.”

Axel looked away. “It is what it is. Hey, Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Was any of that true?” Axel asked as he looked back to the small boy. Will’s face flushed.

“It’s real if you want to believe it,” he said, his eyes going distant again, “but you’ll only believe it if you think it’s real. The longer you stay here, the more you notice.”

“Notice what?”

“The things we saw, the things we still see,” Will replied sheepishly. He looked over to Axel. “Most people don’t see it, but it’s people like us that truly see what’s happening around us.”

“Who would we be, then?” Axel asked, cocking his head. Where is he going with this?

“The curious people. You heard about it earlier, in school, but you didn’t turn away—you listened. You were curious.”

“What does being curious have anything to do with that story?”

Will began to ride away, nearly brushing shoulders with Axel in passing. He began to ride down the sidewalk, heading in the same direction as Mike and Lucas, but he stopped, his tired skidding against the wet pavement. The small boy looked over his slender shoulder, and smiled.

“The more you look and listen, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you believe in what’s real.” Axel opened his mouth, but it was too late; Will had already turned and began to follow his two friends.

Axel watched him ride off, and then he gently touched his puffy lip. It stung, and he winced from the pain. Most of the bleeding had stopped, but his knuckles were still stained with Troy’s blood, and it looked like he gouged his eyes out with his thumbs. He bent down and grabbed a handful of snow, rubbing his hands together. After several minutes, most of the blood had come off, apart from the remainder stuck underneath his fingernails. He cleaned off most of his face as painlessly as possible before standing up. His chest roared with pain. 

“That’s going to hurt for a few days.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to walk towards the direction of town, just like how Hopper described this morning. 

‘I wonder if he’ll be mad I beat up some kid on my first day of school?’ he thought as he adjusted the straps on his backpack. He looked over his shoulder, and his heart dropped slightly. Will was at the end of the sidewalk, waving back towards him. Axel smiled slightly and waved back.

“I think I’m gonna like it here.”


End file.
